No Experience Necessary
by chemicallyattracted
Summary: Wholesome, slow burn AU - Bucky is an Avenger who enjoys spending his free time writing yelp reviews and hanging out with his cat, Nick Furry. Joanne is a combat medic battling everyday sexism and hiding the fact that she helps save superheroes' lives from her parents. Somehow, they start dating. (Bucky/OC)


Chapter One:

As she hit the four-mile mark on one of the many treadmills in the multi-million dollar Avengers training facility, Joanne Chu threw a discreet glance to the person running on the treadmill diagonal to hers. In contrast to the thin layer of sweat that had begun to grace her form, Sergeant James "Bucky" Barnes looked like he was still warming up – which he wasn't, as he had jumped onto his machine a mere minute after Joanne had begun. Joanne took her time appreciating his form, distracting herself from the burn in her body as she began to reach the point of a runner's high. Working at the Avengers headquarters had its perks, and Joanne wasn't about to let this one slide while she trained to maintain her fighter physique.

"It's rude to stare."

Joanne's gaze tore away from Bucky's very firm, very nice butt, to meet the eyes of her superior in the reflective glass. Without breaking stride, she shrugged. "Apologies, Sergeant, was just desperate to look at something more interesting than the most beautiful city in the world."

He nodded, his expression still serious as his eyes darted towards the view of New York City, though Joanne could've sworn a tight tug at the corners of his mouth. They continued the rest of their runs in silence, as Joanne's thoughts began to wander towards the rendezvous she was currently preparing for.

It was another stealth mission, this time requiring her to keep up with Captain Steve Rogers in order to maintain close proximity in case he, or anyone on his team, needed a medic – thus, the running. As a combat medic for the Avengers, the most elite private company of "good guys", Joanne's job required her to maintain a constantly growing medical know-how for dealing with anything from healing bullet wounds to extraterrestrial laser gun singes. After two years in the field, she was often paired with anyone from Nick Fury to the Falcon (Sam, as she knew him) in a multitude of operations; both because she was one of the best, and because she was one of the remaining few who had not yet died in combat (thus, making her the best by default).

What worried her about this mission, in particular, was Captain Roger's renowned ironic reputation of pushing his team past capacity and going against orders. It was every combat medic's worst nightmare. She hadn't worked with him in the past, but knew enough from her colleague, Pat (Captain Roger's first choice medic, currently on a mission with Agent Romanoff), that it required both intense physical and mental stamina to work with Captain America. Joanne knew she had both, but first time collaborations were always nerve wrecking. Thus, extra running.

After a total of ten miles, Joanne got off her treadmill and headed towards the open area of the floor to stretch. Still anxious, she decided to spend her time moving through yoga sequences to help clear her mind. It was in the middle of her third sun salutation when she felt a warmth emanate in front of her.

"Agent Chu."

Joanne turned her head up from her downward dog position to see Sergeant Barnes looking down at her, his hands linked behind his back, cordial as he always was around non-core team members of the Avengers headquarters. (His polite but cold and calculated behavior - a large contrast to Captain Rogers' golden boy mannerisms - had earned him the nickname "The Winteriest Soldier" amongst the general staff.) She quickly finished her stretch sequence, taking a deep breath before standing to face him.

"Yes, Sergeant?"

"I was hoping to talk to you about the upcoming mission you have with Captain Rogers," he said. "Are you free?"

She checked her phone, noting that it was well after midnight. Normally, she would say no to anyone who wanted to go over mission logistics; however, due to her slight shame from being caught checking him out, she agreed.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, picking up her sweaty towel from the ground and following him out of the gym. They fell into stride.

"Not necessarily..." he didn't look directly at her. "I just like to know Captain Rogers is in well-equipped hands."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And does my repertoire make you feel otherwise?"

He shook his head as they turned a corner to where the elevators were. "Don't get defensive, Agent. I just want to know what your plan is."

Sensing their arrival, the elevator doors opened swiftly. "Floor?" The sound of FRIDAY's calm, feminine voice filled the cabin.

"Twenty-two," they said in unison.

"Very well."

They rode in silence. Joanne mused over the fact that neither of them thought to go anywhere else but the floor where their respective apartments were located. She had seen him a few times, returning from missions early in the morning as she headed down to breakfast – it surprised her that he recalled that she was his neighbor.

The elevator made a soft ding as it gently opened. No time at all.

"Have a good night Sergeant Barnes, Agent Chu."

They thanked FRIDAY before both heading to the lounge they had on their floor. In building the residential component of the facilities, Pepper Potts had not skimped on making headquarters feel as homely and luxurious as it could for its residents. Joanne could appreciate that, considering how most everyone who lived at the Avengers Tower worked high stress and physically demanding jobs.

The lounge was empty as they took two seats facing opposite one another by the window. Below them, New York was lit up beautifully. A table between the pair held notebooks and pens in its drawer, and Joanne quickly took them both out for their impromptu meeting.

"I expect you'll burn this when you're done scrutinizing?" she asked, already beginning to write down the notes she had been mentally taking for the past week since her assignment.

" 'Course." Bucky said, watching her intently. "Does that say twenty three meters or twenty five?"

"Twenty three."

She continued writing and drawing for a few moments, grateful that he didn't urge her to speed up. When she had a rough sketch of the perimeter, a compass and key included, she let out a short breath and handed him the notepad. She watched him, his brows furrowed slightly as he took in her brain processes. "Alright, Sergeant Busy Body Barnes, let me prove to you why I'm qualified to make sure your best friend doesn't die."

* * *

Letting out a long yawn, Joanne crawled into her bed, sighing luxuriously as she felt the cool, expensive sheets rub against her skin. She blessed Pepper for her impeccable interior design before reaching over to her nightstand and turning off the light. She noted the time and let out a less enthusiastic breath. It was almost four in the morning. She would have to be at work at nine, latest. Cursing Sergeant Barnes, she set her alarm quickly before giving herself up to the exhaustion that seeped down to her bones.

They had spent two and a half hours going over her strategy, Sergeant Barnes not shy to point out any potential holes he saw. It was frustrating, to say the least.

"So you're going from twenty-three to thirty – isn't that a bit steep?"

"That's just a technicality. Though it measures out to thirty, the incline I'll be at puts me at a position that will allow me to get to him in double the time thanks to those Spiderman mimics that Coulson gave me."

He pointed to another part of her crudely drawn map.

"If you take this route, you go through a section that directly exposes you within range of a sniper."

"With all do respect, Sergeant, if I take any other route it would lead to a significantly larger amount of risk and I think you're well aware of that."

He had seemed pleased with her answer, and it took every ounce of willpower and internalized respectability politics to not roll her eyes with a huff. It went on this way for the entirety of their session.

"It's getting late," he finally said as it was nearing three. He looked slightly guilty, but only just. "I think you've thoroughly answered all my questions. Thank you, Agent Chu." Taking the notebook and glancing over it once, he tore out the top three pages and assured her he would burn it once he got to his room.

She was pretty sure that he would continue to go over her plan, now expanded to higher amounts of detail thanks to him, for a lot longer. He just didn't need her to be present with him anymore.

"Am I dismissed for bed, Sergeant?" She quipped.

He cocked his brow. "Yes," he said, before adding softly, "and that's an order."

She bit back a smile, as she bid him a goodnight and returned to her apartment.

* * *

The sound of her alarm caused a cranky growl to emit from her throat. She rolled over, slamming her hand on the device to stop the sound. Thanks to fancy STARK technology, the bright light of the morning began to shine into her room – synced with her alarm to ensure that, even if she turned her alarm off and attempted to, the light would prevent her from falling back asleep.

"Good morning, Agent Chu," the voice of FRIDAY filled the room. "Your kettle has been turned on and will be ready to use when you are."

"You're a lifesaver, FRIDAY," she yawned. She counted a few seconds before stretching her body to its fullest length, groaning as she did so. In less than twenty-four hours she would be shipped off to her mission with Captain Rogers; today would be crunch time and last minute prep. Considering her previous night, she doubted she would need to go over logistics to herself anymore. At least she was ready for Captain America's infamous pre-mission grill.

Getting up out of her bed, she rolled her shoulders quickly before heading towards her shower, stripping off her clothes on the way. Addressing FRIDAY, again, she said, "If you could please have my reports loaded onto my tablet for me to read over breakfast."

"Of course."

In the shower, she thought about how interesting it was to have a computer be the first and last person she spoke to everyday; then, she thought about what work she needed to do before she left. She had a meeting with Agent Hill and Captain Rogers in an hour, a run-through with the level sixes that would be tagging along after lunch, and a two-hour slotted "warm up" at the training facility in the evening. In between, she knew she would have to pack her medic kit, ensure all tech was accounted for and working sufficiently, and play a serious situation game of "what-will-you-do-if-Steve-Rogers-gets-hurt". All while battling the daily sexism she experienced from her fellow level eight's as the only - and best - medic at the Avengers… who happened to be a woman. Typical day on the job.

When she had first started at SHIELD, she had been quickly pulled into the boys' club nature of fighting crime. Everyone was tough as nails, stoic, and often easy to denounce displays of anything they deemed traditionally feminine. She internalized many of the comments made to her about her work, believing that it was by chance she was good at what she did instead of by her work ethic and intelligence. It wasn't until she was on the radar of people like Agents Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff that she realized how annoying it was to be on the non-stop receiving end of backhanded compliments.

"Of course you're good at this, women are natural healers!"

"You're pretty tough, for a girl so small and cute."

"Not bad, maybe I need to stop going easy on you – you're tougher than most women."

All the comments were annoying, and Joanne was learning to shut them down. Even worse was when they incorporated her race into the equation, and saw her skill as intrinsic to "her people's Eastern medicine". After SHIELD had dissolved, and she was recruited into the Avengers facilities, it had gotten better. It hadn't gone away, but it was better. She learned to notice the subtle differences in how the company occasionally treated its workers in comparison to its super stars.

While drinking her coffee, she went over, again, the plans she had spent hours going over with Sergeant Barnes. She made a few changes and clarifications (his advice), before flipping open her work email. It was pretty full, thanks to her altered schedule to accommodate her mission the next morning. She scrolled through the different meeting agendas she had been sent and responded to necessary administrative inquiries, before eyeing one that had been sent at about 5 AM from none other than James Buchanan Barnes.

She felt the dread forming in the pit of her stomach once she read the subject line: 'warm up tonight'. It didn't take rocket science to figure out that Sergeant Barnes was interested in also checking her physical condition in addition to her ability to formulate a top-tier plan.

_Agent Chu, I've spoken to Agent Hill and will be running your warm up tonight. Just an FYI. – Barnes_

Just as she had thought. She groaned slightly. There was no way she was getting out of it, since it was objectively better for her to be training with him instead of alone like previously planned. She typed a quick affirmative before closing her tablet. Nonetheless, she still fumed. What was Agent Hill thinking? If she had her train with Bucky tonight she was going to be exhausted in the morning. She wasn't on the same level as Agent Hill or a super soldier - did they forget that? She eyed her bed, which looked inviting as ever from where she sat in her kitchen. Maybe she ought to ask Pepper to stop furnishing their living quarters so comfortably so she wouldn't be so attached to hers.

She made a mental note to do so at the next staff meeting.

Her day passed quickly. Thanks to her briefing with Sergeant Barnes, she went through each of her meetings almost on autopilot. Every scenario they threw at her in her meetings was a less in-depth version of something he had brought up the night before. He had been thorough as ever, wanting to know if she could be trusted with his best friend's life. Now, it was the same thing, except significantly easier. She answered each concern thoroughly and efficiently, all the while thinking about what she still had to do for herself, what she'd be eating for her next meal, and which of the Avengers had the firmest butt. Even she, during her internal prep, had trouble thinking of situations she had not already thought out a plan for. She considered maybe thanking the Sergeant, since most of her immediate supervisors were so incredibly pleased by her attention to detail.

By the time she walked into the training facility later that night, changed into a mission uniform so she could get used to moving in its weight, Joanne was exhausted. But, thinking about the upcoming mission, and the opponent she was about to face in preparation, sputtered her adrenaline into overdrive and she was soon antsier than ever. She glanced at the clock and noted she had about five minutes to herself before her superior would join her. She decided to stretch out her muscles in the meantime, allowing herself to think of nothing in the meantime as a meditative preparation.

"Sorry I'm late."

She gasped and almost fell over from her warrior three pose (her favorite pose for re-calibrating after a long day).

"Geez," she said, her hand dramatically placed over her heart as she turned to face her training companion. "They were not kidding about your silent entrances." She noted that it was a mere two minutes past 7 PM. Late was an overstatement.

Sergeant Barnes rolled his eyes, but she was sure she caught a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Silent entrances come in handy with the job description," he quipped. "Anyway, you ready to get started? I was thinking of doing hills, since the terrain is going to be pretty rough where you're at. Then, in the last forty five, some close hand to hand. Is that cool?"

She cocked a brow, making a slight tch noise. "Forty five minutes seems a little excessive for a medic, doesn't it, sir?"

"Well, considering your team's current number of employees, I'm thinking forty five makes a lot of sense."

She winced, "touche." She rolled her shoulders slightly and walked towards the simulation chamber's door. "Alright, well, I'm ready when you are!"

He nodded. "Good luck, Agent. You'll need it."

She gave him a quizzical look as she entered the chamber. "Thanks?"

Scaling simulations wouldn't be too hard, considering the location her and the team would be headed in the morning. Why would he be insisting she needed luck? She felt a sense of dread fill her stomach as she felt the air in the room cool and heard the warning sounds of the first simulation, of four, begin to take shape.

* * *

She cursed loudly, her balance tested as she jumped from one ledge to another in order to reach the river bank's floor. The snow underneath her shifted slightly, and she adjusted her weight to ensure she didn't go tumbling to her simulated death. He was definitely not going easy on her.

For whatever reason, Sergeant Barnes had decided to place her into a mountainous, snow-stormy version of Siberia that happened to be experiencing unrealistic plate tectonic shifts. Perhaps for nostalgia's sake? She would never know.

So far, she had miraculously passed all of the previous simulations. But, only barely. She had been able to climb up a cliff during an avalanche ("the target is quickly being buried by snow at the northeast tip of the mountain - you have five minutes before they're too deep"), locate a bunker hidden inside the mouth of a cave thirty meters underground ("the target has multiple bullet wounds on their left side, and if they lose speed the whole mountain will blow"), and, about ten minutes ago, swim under ice ("the target is in a vehicle under water that is severely damaged, and needs help getting out or they will probably drown").

Breathing heavy, she calculated that she had about two minutes to get to her target thirty feet down or else she would be failing this final round - which, had been surprisingly simple thus far as it just required her to get down a mountain in five minutes. But now, a blizzard had miraculously hit.

"You know," she shouted into her intercom, the wind and snow whipping against her face, making it near impossible to see, "I really don't know why you're making me deal with ice when the mission reports all said that it's only going to be dirt and gravel."

He heard a chuckle. What a sadistic bastard. "If you can get up and down this terrain, you're going to be more than prepared."

She rolled her eyes. Eyeing the tree branch three feet from the ledge where she currently stood. If she made it, she could easily swing down with minimal damage to herself. She noted the other, smaller tree branch ten feet down that she could use as more leverage on the way to the floor. It was the best shot she had, since she wasn't particularly fond of scaling down icy, snow filled trees. She did a silent prayer to her ancestors before leaping towards the branch. Luckily, her hands grabbed it firmly, and she was able to swing herself down to the other branch with ease - snap!

"Fuck!" She fell the remaining twenty feet and, despite her best effort to maneuver herself, landed on her back. The air completely left her.

"Not bad, Agent," came Sergeant Barnes' voice over the intercom. "Your idea was good, but that tree branch was dead if you had taken a closer look."

Joanne struggled for breath as the simulation froze, and then suddenly vanished, leaving her laying in a bright white room. She heard the beep of the door and, a few seconds later, saw a pleased Sergeant Barnes standing over her, hand extended. She took one more deep breath, her heart still racing from the short drop and the wind having been knocked out of her, before allowing him to help her up.

He said, "You can rest for three before we do some hand to hand. I'll give you your evaluation after." He nodded curtly before heading back towards the door, leaving her to gather herself and mentally prepare for what she was sure to be forty five minutes off getting her ass handed to her.

She sighed out of breath,, cursing herself for missing the dead branch in her quick analysis of the perimeter. Oversights like that could cost the mission and the medic, and she had been so close to passing this last round! She made a quick mental note to practice both scaling up and down ice-covered trees and landing higher drops, vowing to never make such an elementary mistake ever again. Concentrating, she slowed her breathing and tried her best to clear her mind in preparation for the next forty five minutes.

"Your three minutes are up!"

She nodded, before realizing that Sergeant Barnes was on the other side of the doors. "Right, thanks!"

She walked slowly, ignoring the creeping dread that was beginning to rise from the tips of her toes. Images of Sergeant Barnes from the 40's, the Winter Soldier, then as an Avenger flashed through her mind, and she felt an intense unease. She had studied this footage when he had first joined the team; and though she hadn't yet been paired with him in the field, she knew fully well from others at the tower that he almost never messed up, was always calculated. When it came to fighting hand to hand, he moved intuitively and aggressively: the most efficient soldier. She would be lucky to land a single hit.

* * *

The sound of the training facility was filled with grunts and groans, the occasional sound of mechanical whirs, and many, many curse words. To anyone passing by, it could've been the sound of two lovers in the heat of an intimate. But, to anyone working at the Avengers tower, it was the instinctual sound of two combatants in the heat of a fight.

"You're not following through with your punches." Sergeant Barnes sidestepped her punch and promptly elbowed her to the ground. She rolled away, quickly, using momentum to swing herself back onto her feet and keep her distance. "And you can't keep running away."

"I'm not running away," she gritted, wondering how badly her back would be hurting if he had used his full strength when elbowing her. Her face was covered in sweat, and she wanted to smack the man in front of her for still looking impeccable - and, for pulling his punches. They had been sparring for about forty minutes, and Joanne was on the verge of collapsing.

She wasn't used to being in a one on one fight for this long, and her body was screaming at her. In her training, though they had incorporated combat and self defense, the priority was always on efficiently moving in and out of a situation for the benefit of the injured target. Basically, how to effectively run away. Though Joanne could defend herself easily against the average fighter, as most bad guys tended to be, she was no match for a super soldier who expected her to knock him out like she was born to do so.

"Well, if you're not running away," he motioned towards his chest, invitingly, "what are you waiting for? Your enemies aren't going to stand patiently for you to punch them when there's a superhero barrelling through the grounds, compromising their base."

He had a point and she hated it. She moved towards him, feigning a punch before swiping his feet. He fell, but quickly flipped back onto his feet again. Not allowing herself to feel too triumphant, she quickly jumped onto his back, latching and maneuvering herself so she held him in a chokehold. He stumbled, caught off guard. Then, quickly, he dropped backwards, knocking the wind out of her for the second time that evening.

"Oof!"

He rolled off of her, and she glared at him through her labored breathing.

"Really?" His tone was accusatory, and Joanne knew she had disappointed him. He gave her a minute to regain herself as his face failed to conceal the judgement in his eyes. What was he expecting? Her energy was completely drained at this point.

"Okay, look," she finally said, sitting up and looking him straight in the eye. "I know, I need to brush up on my combat skills, I really do. But the point of my job isn't to stay for the fight. I just need the bare minimum to do what I need to do - which is! -" she shushed him as his mouth opened to argue "-to keep the target alive. To keep Captain Rogers and his team alive, so that he can save the world or whatever."

He stared at her, incredulous. "You can't do that if you're dead."

She groaned. "I'm not dead yet, am I?"

"Yet." He let out a short breath. "I know Steve, and I know what it takes to be down there with him. I'm just trying to help you and make sure you can handle it."

She wanted to punch him in his sweat free face. "I really appreciate your concern, but I've been doing this job long before you joined. In fact, I was doing this when you were playing for the other team. So, I think I can 'handle it'."

Ignoring the tension that appeared in his jaw line, she stood up and headed towards the exit. She called out behind her, "Goodnight Sergeant Barnes. I assure you, I won't let you down. Try to believe that and get some sleep."

* * *

By the time she was crawling into her 1000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, Joanne felt like shit for what she had said. She had about five hours before she had to be up, out the door, and at the hangar to board the carrier that would be taking her on her first mission with America's favorite superhero… And all she could think about was how insensitive she had been to said superhero's best friend, practically-brother, possibly-lover. She entertained the idea of how Captain Rogers would react if Sergeant Barnes let him know what she'd said to him, and concluded that she would probably not expect to be paired with him again in future missions - or worse, fired.

Then again, it was slim pickings in the department of combat medics. And there weren't exactly new recruits lining up outside.

"Goddamn it." She threw her head into her incredibly soft pillow. Feeling the guilt wash over her even more as she enjoyed the coolness of the luxurious material.

"Is something wrong, Agent Chu?"

She made an inhuman noise. "FRIDAY, remind me to not be a stereotype and lash out at validly concerned men in the future when my ego is slighted."

"Noted. Goodnight, miss. Your alarm is set, and your kettle will be brewing at exactly 2:50 AM."

"Thank you, FRIDAY."

Joanne wasn't sure if AI's had a sense of humor, but she was positive FRIDAY sounded slightly bemused. She sighed softly, turning over so that she hugged another one of the six pillows she had on her bed. She noted, again, to bring up the unnecessary state of luxury that Pepper Potts provided for the tenants at the tower during the next staff meeting. She forced herself to close her eyes and to take deep, calming breaths.

Her mind went in circles, replaying the conversation she had with Sergeant Barnes. She realized, thanks to her once a week appointments with her therapist, that her anger towards him was likely just a projection of her own disappointment in herself. Deciding to bring up his history as the Winter Soldier, especially when everyone knew how much it continuously tormented him, was the lowest blow she could've probably made. Though she didn't know Sergeant Barnes well, his efforts to be knowledgeable about political theory, current events, and popular culture were well known at the tower. After decades of brainwashing and gaslighting, he didn't take his freedom of the mind lightly. She vowed to apologize after her mission with Captain Rogers, and to thank the Sergeant for his help because she couldn't deny that it was useful.

Perhaps she would pull some strings and get him a reservation for two at her brother's restaurant, an upscale Chinese-Malaysian fusion place called Laska. Yes, that would most definitely earn his forgiveness; even if it did border on bribery. Knowing her own brother, he'd probably provide a complimentary 12-course meal in the kitchen. Although he hated that she was doing this line of work, he was an adamant supporter of the Avengers - he had an autographed picture of Tony Stark and him, shaking hands, hanging in his office. He pointed it out to her every time she visited. She wasn't sure what his stance was on the infamous HYDRA assassin turned Avenger/restaurant connoisseur, but she knew him well enough to know he cared most about business… and having an Avenger at his restaurant, regardless of their shoddy history, was bound to shine the spotlight even brighter onto him.

They hadn't spoken to one another in months, as their jobs were so demanding. She usually heard second hand information from the latest glowing review, their mother (shit, she needed to call her), or his Twitter. Hopefully, he wouldn't be upset with her for only contacting him when she needed a favor. She sighed, making a mental note to shoot her brother an email the next morning. Hopefully she'd make it out of this mission alive so that she would see his response.


End file.
